LATROBE, PA (93.7 The Fan) – You probably saw the video of the impact Kenny Pickett had on a young boy by signing an autograph this week as Steelers Training Camp opened in Latrobe. Imagine if that child then grew up and was on that same field with an opportunity to make the roster.
That is Bethel Park graduate Jake Dixon’s story.
“This whole experience is awesome,” Dixon said Friday. “Being up here as a kid, I try to autograph for everyone I can walking up that hill because that little guy with a Terrible Towel was me 10 or 15 years ago.”
Dixon looking over at the hill lined with fans that players walk up at St. Vincent College. It’s the path from the football fields to the gym where the Steelers temporary locker rooms are for the first few weeks of the season.
He is acutely aware of the impact this training camp experience has on young fans. Dixon says he tries to stay out there as long as he can, shortening the time he has for dinner before he’s off to evening meetings.
“Coming off the field, interacting with them and showing them we are just regular old guys,” Dixon said. “Yesterday, I think I got everyone on the left side, (asking) ‘where are you from’, (and just) talking. It’s a really cool experience for them and it’s just as cool of an experience for us.”
What may have been a low-key cool experience for Dixon was the final play of practice on Friday. The former Duquesne star who signed as an undrafted free agent hours after this year’s NFL Draft ended, was in the middle of a fight he instigated.
It seemed like a pretty standard run play but as the action continued away from him, the offensive tackle remained locked in and blocking his defender Khalil Davis. Probably didn’t have to stay with him that long and Khalil had an issue with it. As Dixon was standing there after the play ended, Khalil’s twin brother Carlos Davis ran across the field and hit Dixon. A couple dozen player scrum ensued for about 30-45 seconds before all finally calmed down.
“Just play to the whistle and things ended how they did,” Dixon said. “Going hard and trying to mix it up. It’s the third day of camp and trying to get after it.”
Trying to make the team as an undrafted player, you have to take every rep like it’s the Super Bowl. While there are a few notables that have taken that path (James Harrison, Ramon Foster, Chris Hoke, Willie Parker among them), the odds are not in your favor. Dixon said he was playing the rep to its fullest and even dropped a Tomlinism of ‘iron sharpens iron’ when it comes to playing hard.
A converted tight end, Dixon named an All-NEC First Team offensive lineman in 2021, his only full season playing tackle. He actually started his career as a five-star volleyball recruit at Lewis University before transferring to Duquesne. The 6’6”, 295-pound Dixon was recruited to play at volleyball powerhouses Stanford and Penn State among others. Now he’s part of a line blocking for the Steelers first-round pick and Heisman finalist Kenny Pickett.
“The pressure is on us,” Dixon said. “We have to do our job regardless of who is playing quarterback. Having Kenny back there leading the huddle, with his experience at Pitt. Looking at him in the huddle and getting plays from him has been good.”
There have been some rocky performances by that line. It’s a group of mostly other undrafted free agents who have never played together before and each with the pressure of knowing any snap could be their last. Pickett often hasn’t had time to throw as he tries to make a case to be the starting quarterback. Dixon says they’re working on it.
“We talked about it every night at a meeting,” Dixon said. “We have to do our job so everyone else can do their job. Every day getting better, it’s an important job of the O-line.”
Dixon has made it this far and may develop like Matt Feiler and to go from an undrafted Steelers lineman from a smaller Pennsylvania school to an NFL starter signing a three-year, $21 million contract. For now, it’s about finding a way on this team and soaking it all in.
“To be able to experience it, it’s unbelievable,” Dixon said. “It’s really cool.”